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OMRI Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 110, 96-06-06

Open Media Research Institute: Daily Digest Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>

Vol. 2, No. 110, 6 June 1996


CONTENTS

[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA

  • [01] TRIAL OF KAZAKHSTAN'S DISMISSED SUPREME COURT CHIEF IMMINENT.
  • [02] TASHKENT TO UNDERGO RENOVATION. . .
  • [03] . . . AS PUSHKIN MONUMENT IS DISMANTLED.
  • [04] TURKMEN ANTHEM WRITER SOUGHT.
  • [05] TAJIK GOVERNMENT FORCES GAINING GROUND.

  • [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

  • [06] MASS GRAVE FOUND NEAR SREBRENICA.
  • [07] SERBS CONTINUE TO HARASS CROSS-BORDER BUS LINE.
  • [08] NEW INCIDENTS IN MOSTAR.
  • [09] SERBS START DEMOBILIZING IN EASTERN SLAVONIA.
  • [10] UN WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL CHIEF VISITS BELGRADE.
  • [11] U.S OFFICIAL OPENS INFORMATION CENTER IN KOSOVO.
  • [12] SLOVENIA'S GOVERNING COALITION TO CONTINUE.
  • [13] MACEDONIA, SLOVENIA TO BOOST COOPERATION.
  • [14] ROMANIA SETS DEADLINE FOR PRESIDENTIAL AND GENERAL ELECTIONS.
  • [15] FORMER MOLDOVAN COMMUNIST BOSS VISITS GAGAUZ REGION.
  • [16] BULGARIAN SOCIALIST PARTY LEADERSHIP TO RESIGN?
  • [17] BULGARIAN TV BOSS TO BE SACKED.
  • [18] ALBANIAN ELECTION UPDATE.

  • [A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA

    [01] TRIAL OF KAZAKHSTAN'S DISMISSED SUPREME COURT CHIEF IMMINENT.

    Kenzhebulat Beknazarov, a spokesman for the Kazakhstani State Committee on National Security, told ITAR-TASS on 4 June that the committee has evidence that Mikhail Malakhov, the former chairman of the Kazakhstani Supreme Court, received a foreign car worth $7000 as a bribe. Beknazarov told ITAR-TASS that the Kazakhstani government may have to ask the Russian government to extradite Malakhov, who is currenlty in Russia on a "private visit." Malakhov lost his legal immunity after the Senate voted on 3 June to dismiss him from his post. President Nursultan Nazarbayev had suspended Malakhov in early April. According to a 3 June Kazakhstani TV report monitored by the BBC, four other Supreme Court judges have offered their resignations, bringing the total number of those who resigned to nine; no reasons were given for the resignations. -- Bhavna Dave

    [02] TASHKENT TO UNDERGO RENOVATION. . .

    Extensive changes are to take place in Tashkent including the construction of new parks and housing developments, the city's hokim, Kozim Tulyaganov, said in an interview published in Pravda vostoka on 6 June. The plan, approved by the cabinet at the end of 1994, calls for the renovation of the "old city" part of Tashkent, which will entail the destruction of entire neighborhoods of traditional Uzbek homes and their replacement with apartment buildings and wide boulevards. OMRI has learned that UNESCO and residents of the old city have repeatedly voiced their objection to the plan, which is already underway. -- Roger Kangas in Tashkent

    [03] . . . AS PUSHKIN MONUMENT IS DISMANTLED.

    Uzbek authorities removed the statue of Aleksandr Pushkin from a central square of Tashkent on the night of 4 June and took it to an undisclosed location, Ekspress-Khronika reported on 6 June. Russians celebrate Pushkin's birthday on 6 June. -- Bhavna Dave

    [04] TURKMEN ANTHEM WRITER SOUGHT.

    A presidential decree read on state radio offers the equivalent of $10,000 to anyone who can pen a national anthem for Turkmenistan, Reuters reported on 5 June. The anthem must reflect the country's neutrality and historical traditions. President Saparmurad "Turkmenbashi" Niyazov himself will be on the panel of 14 judges to decide the winner. Results are expected by 1 October in preparation for the 27 October celebration of Turkmen Independence Day. -- Bruce Pannier

    [05] TAJIK GOVERNMENT FORCES GAINING GROUND.

    Tajik government forces continue to drive opposition forces eastward and southward in the latest offensive, according to ITAR-TASS and Reuters. Fighting is now taking place near the village of Sagirdasht, which lies between the town of Tavil-Dara and the Kalai-Khumb border post, Russian TV (RTR) reported on 5 June. Four government soldiers are reported dead and 27 are wounded. Presidential spokesman Zafar Saidov denied allegations that Russian forces are providing air support for the latest drive but for the first time mentioned that the opposition forces are in possession of four helicopters. Fighting was also reported near Komsomolabad, north of Tavil-Dara, and at the Khorog border post. -- Bruce Pannier

    [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

    [06] MASS GRAVE FOUND NEAR SREBRENICA.

    UN investigators on 5 June dug out a small "test trench" at Nova Kasaba that revealed at least six corpses, with more more certainly nearby. The entire mass grave site may contain up to 2,700 mainly Muslim males murdered by the Serbs after the fall of Srebrenica last July, Reuters reported. U.S. satellite photos, survivors' testimonies, and journalists' accounts had suggested that a huge grave was located in the peaceful valley. The Serbs maintain that any Muslims buried in the area were soldiers killed in battle, but the latest excavations reveal civilian clothing and skeletons with their hands tied behind their backs. Meanwhile in Jajce, the body count in the mass grave of mainly women recently discovered there is now 63, Onasa reported. Finally, the remains of 20 Muslims gunned down by the Serbs in June 1992 were unearthed in Jesevo, northwest of Sarajevo, AFP noted. -- Patrick Moore

    [07] SERBS CONTINUE TO HARASS CROSS-BORDER BUS LINE.

    Bosnian Serb police in Lukavica have created "certain problems" for a bus line linking that Serb-held Sarajevo suburb with the rest of the city, UNHCR spokesman Kris Janowski said on 5 June. Serb policemen told the bus driver: "Do not play with your lives. We will pick you off the bus tomorrow," Onasa reported. The UN is now considering bringing in foreign drivers, as is already done on the Banja Luka-Zenica line where Danes drive buses with Danish license plates. Bosnian Serb authorities seem determined to block the few bus routes connecting the Republika Srpska with the Croat-Muslim Federation (see OMRI Special Report, 4 June 1996). Freedom of movement and the unity of all Bosnia- Herzegovina are two key principles of the Dayton agreement. -- Patrick Moore

    [08] NEW INCIDENTS IN MOSTAR.

    During the past several days, Muslim-Croatian tensions flared in Mostar, Oslobodjenje reported on 6 June. Croatian police arrested three Muslims and in retaliation, fellow Muslims blocked the main Revolution Boulevard, which is the demarcation line between the city's Muslim and Croatian communities. The Muslims then dragged two Croats out of their cars, taking them hostage. After the EU police intervened, both the detained Muslims and Croats were released. Head of the EU police Piter Lambrehtce on 5 June denied that the Muslim military police attacked a Croatian policeman inside the joint police forces' headquarters, Oslobodjenje reported. -- Daria Sito Sucic

    [09] SERBS START DEMOBILIZING IN EASTERN SLAVONIA.

    In Eastern Slavonia, which is due to be returned to the Croatian government within two years, Serbs have started to demobilize their soldiers, AFP reported on 6 June. A UN spokesman said Gen. Dusan Loncar, the commander of the Serb forces in the territory, gave the order and demobilization will be completed in 10 days. Then, the 5,000 Serbs will also hand over their barracks and training areas to the UN transitional administration. Meanwhile, Milan Djukic, a Serb deputy in the Croatian parliament, sent an open letter to Croatian President Franjo Tudjman in which he wrote that this is the most difficult time in history for Serbs in Croatia and asked the Croatian president not to spread the hatred, Novi List reported on 6 June. -- Daria Sito Sucic

    [10] UN WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL CHIEF VISITS BELGRADE.

    During his visit to rump Yugoslavia, President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia Antonio Cassese failed to win a commitment from the Belgrade authorities that they would pass a law on the extradition of war criminals. Following 5 June meetings with Radovan Bozovic, speaker of the federal parliament, Cassese said that "this [failure to adopt legislation] is a blatant violation not only of the Dayton agreement but also of two UN Security Council resolutions." For its part, Belgrade defended its lack of compliance with Dayton by arguing that "the Yugoslav criminal code is in keeping with international law and regulates the issues of extradition of war crime suspects in an adequate way," Tanjug reported. -- Stan Markotich

    [11] U.S OFFICIAL OPENS INFORMATION CENTER IN KOSOVO.

    U.S Deputy Secretary of State John Kornblum presided over the opening of a U.S. Information Center in Kosovo on 5 June, Nasa Borba reported the next day. Aleksa Jokic and Milos Nesovic, representatives of the Serbian authorities in the predominantly ethnic Albanian province, and Kosovar shadow- state President Ibrahim Rugova also attended. Reuters reported that while the center is not to have any official diplomatic role, Kornblum said it could play a part in resolving ethnic tensions in the region. "We believe that by allowing access to many new kinds of information resources and by providing a center as a meeting place...we will be able to contribute to the foundations for a democratic future," he said. Washington has made improvement in the human rights situation in Kosovo a precondition to the formal recognition of rump Yugoslavia. -- Stan Markotich

    [12] SLOVENIA'S GOVERNING COALITION TO CONTINUE.

    The coalition agreement uniting the Liberal Democratic party (LDS) and the Christian Democratic Party (SKD) was to have come to an end formally on 4 June, but on 5 June the SKD said it would stay on in accordance with the terms of the current coalition arrangement until December elections. In a statement reported by Radio Slovenija on 29 May, LDS Secretary General Gregor Golobic said that terminating the agreement would amount only to "formalizing relations to date" between the two parties. Ties appeared to have reached their all-time low on 16 May when the SKD backed a no-confidence motion against LDS Foreign Minister Zoran Thaler. Golobic also said the LDS and SKD will continue to cooperate on some basis, enabling the government to continue working. He discounted "rumors" of an upcoming vote of no-confidence in Drnovsek. -- Stan Markotich

    [13] MACEDONIA, SLOVENIA TO BOOST COOPERATION.

    During a visit of Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek to Skopje on 5 June both sides agree that the "excellent political relations must be followed by increased economic cooperation," Nova Makedonija reported. Drnovsek and his Macedonian counterpart, Branko Crvenkovski, signed an agreement on mutual protection of investments and announced that an agreement on free trade will be signed in July. Drnovsek and Crvenkovski stressed their identical views on the issue of the succession of the former Yugoslavia and both said their countries wish to join the EU and NATO. -- Stefan Krause

    [14] ROMANIA SETS DEADLINE FOR PRESIDENTIAL AND GENERAL ELECTIONS.

    The government on 5 June announced that presidential and general elections will be held in Romania on 3 November, local media reported. The announcement came after a meeting with leaders of the parliamentary parties. In order to avoid the delay that might have resulted from amending the electoral law, the parliamentary "hurdle" will remain at 3%, instead of a proposed 5- 7%. Candidacies for the presidency will, as in 1992, require the backing of 100,000 supporters. In a related matter, it was announced that the final returns of the 2 June local elections will be made public on 7 June only. -- Dan Ionescu

    [15] FORMER MOLDOVAN COMMUNIST BOSS VISITS GAGAUZ REGION.

    Ivan Bodiul, who was First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic in the 1960s, paid an unofficial visit to Comrat, the capital of Moldova's autonomous Gagauz region, BASA-press reported on 5 June. Bodiul met with Gagauz Governor Georgii Tabunshchik and other local officials. He expressed satisfaction about the way the Gagauz issue was eventually settled through the setting up of an autonomous region within the framework of the Moldovan state. The 78-year-old Bodiul, who currently lives in Moscow, had talks with the Dniester separatist leaders in Tiraspol on 31 May. Some media in Chisinau have speculated that Bodiul might run as a presidential candidate in the next Moldovan elections to take place in November. -- Dan Ionescu

    [16] BULGARIAN SOCIALIST PARTY LEADERSHIP TO RESIGN?

    Prime Minister and BSP Chairman Zhan Videnov proposed that the BSP Deputy chairmen and the Executive Bureau tender their collective resignation to the party's Supreme Council on 8 June, Standart and Duma reported. Most of the Executive Bureau's members agreed to this move. The last party plenum on 31 May obliged Videnov to make changes in the government and the party leadership by 8 June. New people are expected to be elected to the BSP top level and changes in the government approved. According to 24 chasa, Minister of Economic Development Rumen Gechev, Industry Minister Kliment Vuchev, Finance Minister Dimitar Kostov, and Agriculture Minister Svetoslav Shivarov will be replaced. However, Shivarov and Gechev will keep their deputy prime minister posts. -- Stefan Krause

    [17] BULGARIAN TV BOSS TO BE SACKED.

    The parliamentary Commission for Radio, TV, and the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency on 5 June adopted a proposal of its Socialist majority recommending that the parliament dismiss National TV Director-General Ivan Granitski, Trud and Reuters reported. Granitski, whom the Socialists voted in less than a year ago, was accused of having allowed professional and economic problems to build up at the state TV. The commission ruled that Granitski had undermined the prestige of the parliament and other state institutions and shown "disrespect for political forces." The opposition abstained and demanded that a vote on Granitski's dismissal be postponed until all parties discussed the issue. Valeri Zapryanov and Stefan Stoev, the directors of the state TV's two channels, News Director Pencho Kovachev, and other top TV managers resigned in protest over the commission's vote. -- Stefan Krause

    [18] ALBANIAN ELECTION UPDATE.

    During a visit to Brussels on 5 June, leaders of the Socialists, Social Democrats, Democratic Alliance, and the Party of the Democratic Right tried to muster support from the EU, Western media reported. They said opposition to President Sali Berisha and his Democratic Party was "not a question of Left and Right but...of democracy versus dictatorship" and demanded that the parliamentary elections be reheld. Representatives of the Belgian Socialists and the German Social Democrats supported this demand. The EU Commission also stepped up pressure on the Albanian government to repeat the elections in districts where international monitors reported irregularities. EU Commission President Jacques Santer and Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini canceled a visit to Tirana. Meanwhile, the Socialists and Democrats said they are ready to start a dialogue. On 4 June, protests continued in Permet, Saranda, and Tepelena, but no incidents were reported. -- Stefan Krause

    Compiled by Victor Gomez and Deborah Michaels
    News and information as of 1200 CET


    This material was reprinted with permission of the Open Media Research Institute, a nonprofit organization with research offices in Prague, Czech Republic.
    For more information on OMRI publications please write to info@omri.cz.


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